Western Thrace Turks seek UN action on religious rights

The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) has brought concerns over the Western Thrace Turkish minority’s right to elect its muftis and the status of its religious institutions before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

ABTTF, on Friday, submitted a written statement to the council’s 63rd regular session, being held from Sept. 7 to Oct. 7 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Titled “Ongoing interference with the religious autonomy and violations of freedom of religion of the Western Thrace Turkish minority in Greece,” the statement said the minority’s religious status and rights are protected under the 1913 Athens Treaty and the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.

ABTTF said the Western Thrace Turkish minority has the right to elect its muftis and administer its religious institutions.

The federation said the minority elected its own muftis until 1985, but that following a legal change in 1991, muftis began to be appointed by the state. It said the practice effectively eliminated the minority’s right to elect its religious leaders.

The statement also said a law enacted in 2022, Law No. 4964, changed the status of the mufti offices, turning them into public institutions under the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports.

ABTTF said the state appointed a mufti to Didymoteicho (known as Dimetoka in Turkish) in 2026, while similar appointment processes were underway in Iskeçe (Xanthi) and Gümülcine (Komotini).

The federation said followers of other recognized religions in Greece are able to choose their religious leaders, while the religious institutions of the Western Thrace Turkish minority remain under state control. It said this situation raises concerns regarding freedom of religion and belief and the principle of equality.

In Greece, the state appoints the religious leaders, or muftis, of the Western Thrace Turkish minority, as well as the administrative boards of minority-owned charitable foundations.

The Turkish minority opposes the practice and calls for its elected muftis to be allowed to serve.

The Western Thrace region, located near Greece’s northeastern border with Türkiye, is home to a substantial, centuries-old Muslim Turkish minority numbering around 150,000.

The rights of Western Thracian Turks are guaranteed under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. But over the decades, the situation has seriously deteriorated for the community, which is also economically one of the poorest in Greece.

The Western Thracian Turkish community often complains of double standards and continuing inequalities in the country, namely socioeconomic discrimination, lack of equal access to quality education for children of minorities, and political rights.

DAILYSABAH